Even though most of our snow is gone I headed out last night looking for north facing hillsides that I thought might hold a little potential. I’ve been thoroughly disgusted with the weather this winter and just wanted to get out and hunt.
I spent a little time hiking in to a couple of spots only to find out that it wasn’t realistic to hunt them based on the lack of snow cover. The good news was that the coyotes were extremely vocal last night and that fired me up. As I was hiking back from a spot that didn’t pan out I heard a pack go off about 1/2 mile away in an area that I knew pretty well. I decided to make a move, try to sneak in from downwind, and make something happen. I also knew there was a north facing hillside that I could call to and it might help me out.
I got into position and made a couple of howls… instant response about 300 yds upwind of me. I waited a few minutes and went to some soft distress. About 3 minutes later I spotted a coyote about 80 yds upwind on the other side of a fencerow. I had the crosshairs on him 3 times as he milled around trying to figure things out but didn’t have a clear shot. I got back on the distress and he disappeared trying to get downwind. He ended up busting out of the fencerow about 120 yds out, right on the snow covered hillside. I tried to bark him to a stop but he never slowed down… 1 shot on the run and a clean miss. I was frustrated with the miss, but satisfied that the plan worked and went looking for more snow.
The next spot also had another north facing slope and I was able to sneak in on a field road that was down to bare ground. From my vantage point I was surrounded by snow and had a great view if anything decided to show up. After about 5 minutes of calling I had a coyote come in about 70 yds upwind of me and I didn’t waste any time putting him on the ground. It was great to hear the bullet slap again and I was pumped. I finished out the set and headed back to the truck.
It was getting late but I had one more set in me. I hiked in to another spot with decent visibility and put in some time, but no takers. Overall, it was a tough night to hunt based on the conditions but I was happy with the results. Hopefully, we’ll have at least one more batch of snow that will help out a few evening sets or maybe even the March moon?
